The odds of a Gray trade lost some momentum in late December when the Yankees announced that veteran starter CC Sabathia underwent heart surgery. At the time the Yanks weren’t entirely sure if CC would be ready for spring training so it made sense for them to consider holding onto Gray in the event that CC wouldn’t be able to start the season in the rotation.
However, news broke last week that CC has been cleared to begin working out to prepare for what is set to be his 19th and final big league season. He’s expected to make a full recovery and should be on the Yankees 25-man Opening Day roster.